When the Clarisonic skincare company wanted to put their achievements in perspective, they thought they would do it museum style. Their launch event treated bloggers to a cultured view of evolving skincare, starting with the first known soap in ancient Babylon (made cypress oil, sesame seeds and ashes) all the way up to this morning and the new Deep Pore Cleansing brush head for the Clarisonic system. Since some still think of the Clarisonic as a microdermabrasion system, they set out to change that perception. It’s really all about gentle exfoliation – so gentle, in fact, that you can safely use it twice a day.
Like all good science museums, the staff came prepared with interactive demonstrations, designed to throw into relief the differences between Clarisonic’s classic models and other revolving facial brushes. First, we stopped at the pantyhose station. I never realized this, but the Clarisonic brushes don’t fully revolve – the outer layer of bristles remain stationary and the inner circles only rotate back and forth a tiny bit at 300 movements per second, putting it the sonic, or audible range of frequency. When the demonstrator applied the Clarisonic brush to a strip of pantyhose, the still outer bristles held the surface in place to prevent tugging and pulling, while the oscillations of the inner layers barely affected the surface tension. A generic revolving facial brush didn’t fare so well –it pulled and tugged at the delicate hose. The Clarisonic technology makes sure that skin doesn’t get damaged in the name of deep clean.
Next we moved on to the waterproof makeup stand. A cheerful esthetician put three streaks of heavy-duty waterproof cream makeup on the back of her hand, then tried to wash it off using just her other hand and face wash and water. It didn’t budge. After ten seconds using the Clarisonic brush, with that same face wash she had removed all traces of the makeup from the back of her hand.
Finally came the Jello cup station. Here, we all got a look at the latest innovation, the Deep Pore brush head. Like its sibling the Sensitive, the Delicate, the Normal, and the Body, its bristles are made not of nylon, but a material called Supersoft. Where nylon is stiff and absorbs water, Supersoft is, as one might be lead to guess, soft, and it won’t retain water. The Clarisonic bristles end with careful rounding on the fibers to prevent scratching. To illustrate this, a volunteer turned a Clarisonic brush equipped with the Deep Pore head and pressed it against the surface of a Jello cup. The forgiving bristles didn’t score the surface. All Clarisonic models shut off when pressed too hard against any surface – its just one more way to ensure the skin remains undamaged. The old nylon revolving brush didn’t fare so well. It tore up the Jello. While it wouldn’t tear up skin in such a dramatic fashion, micro-tears and tugging would take their toll on the face over time.
I loved the demonstrations – I wish for their sake Clarisonic would post videos of them online. I tend to be too forgiving and hopeful about new face products, especially ones designed to combat moderate acne, like the Clarisonic. I’m so invested in my face and making it better that I keenly want all products to work. I had no stake in pantyhose, waterproof makeup, and Jello cups, so I could objectively judge the performance, and the Clarisonic came off looking extremely effective.. The Clarisonic systems retail from between $149 and $225, so objectivity for these products is a must. Their website, www.clarisonic.com to view their full line of products.
Tell us, would you buy the Deep Pore Cleansing Brush? Why or why not?
– Katharine McKenzie
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